Understanding the impact of diabetes on your heart health
When Cherylene Pinaroc was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, she didn’t receive much information about the links between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Now, as a diabetes educator, she is helping her patients understand how they can protect their cardiac health. supplied
Cherylene Pinaroc was 24 years old when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. She recalls her shock as she tried to digest the news her doctor delivered: “My first reaction was that this couldn’t be happening. I was dumbfounded,” she says.
“Both my parents had type 2 diabetes, and I understood my family history increased my risk. But it all seemed so far in the future. I never imagined it would happen to me this early in my life.”
Ms. Pinaroc says she felt alone and didn’t receive much information and support after her diagnosis. “This was 20 years ago, and health-care providers weren’t as proactive as they are now. Nobody clearly told me how it could affect my health or fully explained what I needed to do to manage my diabetes.”
Diabetes care and patient supports have come a long way since those days, and today, Ms. Pinaroc is on the front lines herself. She is a Montreal-based diabetes and obesity nurse educator who is dedicated to empowering others diagnosed with diabetes.
Education is key to empowerment, she says. That includes teaching her patients about the importance of managing their glucose levels (sugars) to avoid serious complications associated with diabetes.
“I particularly stress how crucial it is to protect their cardiac health,” she says. “My father had heart problems, but back when I was diagnosed, no one told me about the connection between diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
One of the most important health risks for people with type 2 diabetes to be aware of is heart disease, as those living with type 2 diabetes face an increased risk of dying from heart disease at an earlier age.
In fact, heart disease is the number one cause of death for Canadians living with type 2 diabetes.
When specialist Dr. Alice Cheng meets individuals newly diagnosed with diabetes, she helps them understand the cardiovascular risks and ways to decrease the risks.
“I remind patients that diabetes is not just about sugars,” says Dr. Cheng, an endocrinologist at Trillium Health Partners, Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, and an associate professor at the University of Toronto.
“I explain that diabetes is associated with other potential problems including heart disease and stroke. However, I always emphasize that patients and their diabetes team can take control and do everything possible to lower the risks.”
“I remind patients that diabetes is not just about sugars. I explain that diabetes is associated with other potential problems including heart disease and stroke. However, I always emphasize that patients and their diabetes team can take control and do everything possible to lower the risks. ”
Dr. Cheng finds it valuable to use Diabetes Canada’s ABCDES tool to guide conversations with patients about taking control of their health and minimizing the risk of heart disease and other complications associated with diabetes.
“Focusing on ABCDES helps everyone to remember that we need to address multiple factors: meeting targets for glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol, while also exercising, eating well and quitting smoking, if applicable,” she says.
“Both my parents had type 2 diabetes, and I understood my family history increased my risk. But it all seemed so far in the future. I never imagined it would happen to me this early in my life. ”
The “D” refers to drugs for cardiovascular risk reduction. There are medications that – along with diet and exercise – have been proven to lower the risk of dying from problems related to the heart and blood vessels.
“I tell my patients I’m offering them these medications to protect their heart, their brain and other organs,” Dr. Cheng says. “And these medications can help them meet their other ABCDES targets.”
Both Dr. Cheng and Ms. Pinaroc encourage individuals with diabetes to take an active role in their diabetes management and to ask the members of their care team plenty of questions.
“Ask your diabetes team about how you are doing with your ABCDES,” says Dr. Cheng. “Know your numbers and collaborate with your team on your therapy goals.”
“I’m happy to share knowledge with my patients and to be a partner in their pursuit of living well with diabetes,” Ms. Pinaroc adds. “I’m there to help them realize they’re not alone.”
This content is sponsored by two of Canada’s leading research-based pharmaceutical companies.
Visit www.myheartmatters.ca to learn more.
To view this report on The Globe's website, visit globeandmail.com
To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition: Diabetes Awareness Month